The Gene Tunney challenge.

Has there ever been a retired fighter who didn't say that the stalwarts of his day would have destroyed every contemporary fighter in a walk? Tunney was a very intelligent and articulate man, but he's just blowing smoke here. It was a roundabout way for Gene to say that he would have destroyed Charles, Walcott, Matthews, and the Rock in one night; after all, Gene beat Dempsey, so if Jack could tear through these guys what does that say about Tunney?

 

yeah i agree...although i would have loved for whoever was interviewing tunney to have said "well ok, so on the night that dempsey beat willard..how would the best version of tunney have done" lol..in truth i think tunney does lose the dempsey that beat willard..but i wonder what gene would have said.

 

you could be right..though wlads energy has looked good in recent fights...and he would have a huge size advantage over all those guys that might be too much..but he would have to fight more aggressively then has in recent years to get knockouts as fast as gene was saying....as for rocky dempsey..i think dempsey beats him..i think he is too fast and too skilled..but i will agree that one round is a bit much..but really..one round might be too much for anyone...

 

1. No HW in history is capable of doing this, even at their peak.
2. Dempsey would be lucky to make a top 10 HW list, Tunney is high as ****, didnt know crack was available 80 yrs ago :rofl

 

Gene is trying to make himself look even better than he is because he beat Jack Dempsey twice, this much is obvious.

 

make sure you work on your grade school level math before you take your ged test....that was a quote from one guy who fought about 80 years ago..talking about Dempsey, who fought about 80 years ago....talking about him fighting fighters who fought about FIFTY years ago....so clearly the quote would not have been made 80 years ago....:rasta

lol i am actually just being a *****...but i think dempsey is top 10...

 

I quite agree with this assessment.

 

i think dempsey might just rip the rock apart though....slower pressure fighting going againt a faster pressure fighter who also knows how to pivot step can be bad for the slower pressure fighter..just ask Ricky and Manny

 

and having said what i said..i think rocky had better defense then many give him credit for...

 

:good Imo those two would have had the best chance, but I do not believe that anyone, not even those two could have achieved such a task.

 

:good Upon reading it, I to came to that conclusion! "This guy was so great etc, but I beat him twice, so how great was I?". well the answer is Gene you were great, most fans appreciate that so you really did not need to trivialise the other guys for us to acquire an appreciation of how good you were. And of course, Imo I do not believe that Dempsey would have defeated Marciano (What a great fight that would have been!!!!!).

 

I appreciate the Dempsey-Manny comparison. But I cannot consider Hatton as a fair model of Rocky! So I guess we'll have to choose another fight. Hatton now has a china chin and Rocky has one-punch ko power, something that Ricky has never shown at world level. In my opinion (and it is only that), I believe Dempsey-vs-Marciano would have been one of the greatest fights of all time, but i'm picking Rocky to take it via a very late tko or a decision. But, no matter who wins this, no-one is having an early night!

 

Tunney also felt George Foreman was an amatuer and that Dempsey would have beaten Ali

 

well i hold dempsey verry highly (i personally think he's better then marciano)but......
this reading i most come to the conclusion that tunney is A a stupid and dumb person or B had to manny punches on the head.

 

I think Dempsey is highly underated on this site he was a great puncher and a conditioned fighter in his prime. What hurt him was inactivity but you got to remember the magnatude of the Dempsey name at that time. Remember there was no TV or Cable but everyone knew who Jack Dempsey was. I think Dempsey rates up there with the best and would have been a hand full for Ali.Lewis,Louis,Marciano and Tunney was top 10 ATG as well but JJWalcott would be a handfull for Dempsey prime or not and JJ could pull out the upset. Charles was also no slouch as a heavyweight...Now how long would it take Marciano to KO Tommy Gibbons and could Harry Greb go 15 with Marciano...Could they go 15 with JJWalcot...